CAIRO – “Then this place became mine and I belonged to it,” added Fatma, one of thousands of girls in Egypt, who are not full or active members of their families and communities, especially in Upper Egypt, where some families are very conservative to the extent that many of them don't let their girls go to school. In Egypt, education is a prerequisite for breaking the cycle of poverty. Sustained enrollment and completion of basic education increase the age of marriage, improve job prospects and can have a positive impact on the health of children, say experts. Egypt is rising to the challenge of providing quality education for its 20 million children, with net enrollment and attendance rates for basic education now standing at 97 and 84 per cent for boys, and 94 and 82 per cent for girls. Nevertheless, around 400,000 children in Egypt are not enrolled in primary and preparatory schools, while secondary school graduates are often considered to lack the skills required for the labour market. In celebrating International Literacy Day on September 8, Save the Children (a leading organisation that creates lasting chances for children in need in the US and around the world) launched ‘Ishraq Plus'. This three-year literacy programme targets educating out-of-school adolescent girls in Upper Egypt and providing them with better life and economic opportunities. The programme is sponsored by ExxonMobil Egypt. Beneficiaries of the project emphasise and praise the dramatic transformation the project has brought about in the life of these children. "I have no birth certificate [many rural and upper Egyptians don't have birth certificates issued for their children]. That's why it was hard for me to go to school like anybody else. “When I heard about Ishraq, I dreamt of being one of the participants but my family refused. However, they eventually changed their minds and I started the most important phase in my life," says Amani Kamal, a young Upper Egyptian girl. The aim of the project is not only to teach children to read and write, but also to give them the chance to understand the world better and to be able to deal with people with more self-confidence and to make them more independent. "I have learned everything, including how to organise my life. I have even learned how to talk well," adds Amani, who wants to be a lawyer one day and would love every girl to be educated. "It's important to be educated.” Warda Mostafa is another Upper Egyptian girl like Amani. It was her family's poverty that deprived her of continuing her studies. "My father earns very little, so I had to leave school, but when I heard about the Ishraq programme I was delighted, because it has allowed me to continue with my studies," Warda says. "Now I'm able to read the doctor's prescriptions for my mother.” It's hard for anyone to walk into an Upper Egyptian village and tell the villagers that they're going to educate their daughters, because girls there are sacred. They keep their daughters at home, because they believe that, by so doing, they're keeping them out of harm's way. So, in order to convince these families that their daughters will be safe and this project will not harm them, some of the old and trusted inhabitants of one Upper Egyptian village formed a committee to debate the pros and cons of this programme. Faisal Fathi Marei, the headmaster of Yahsheem School in the village, was elected to the committee. "Knowledge is a fundamental of life, so it was hard for me as a teacher to reject this very good programme that will help the girls in our village. People in the village were afraid at first of this idea. “As you know, some of Upper Egyptians are a bit narrow-minded and they are always afraid of newcomers. So the village people formed a committee to discuss the issue. They agreed and then had to convince everyone else that this programme is safe and won't harm their children," Marei explains. In the first phase of Ishraq (‘Enlightenment' in Arabic), young girls were taught how to read and write, and also how to deal with people and lead their daily lives. In the second phase, they will be taught English and computer studies. “Education is the magic lantern that lights up the path of progress that leads to development. It is a vital pillar in the advancement of any nation. “ExxonMobil's corporate social responsibility efforts primarily focus on education; the Ishraq programme aims to improve life and economic opportunities for ‘out-of-school' rural, adolescent girls and women in Upper Egypt. “The company kick-started its support for the Ishraq programme in 2008 and has helped out over 1,000 girls in 21 villages in Beni Sueif, el-Minya and Assiut,” said Andy Wells, Chairman and Managing Director of ExxonMobil Egypt, who expressed his pleasure at his company's constant support for the Ishraq Project, at the ceremony for launching Ishraq Plus. Ishraq Plus will provide 400 out-of-school rural, adolescent girls with a comprehensive three-year programme of literacy, life skills, sports and entrepreneurial training, which will enhance their lives and economic opportunities, promoting the creation of a new generation of women and business leaders. The project will also improve the economic opportunities of 200 of the girls' mothers by providing them with entrepreneurial training and micro loans to help them engage in income-generating activities and also providing them with new opportunities to improve their status within their families and the community. “Ishraq has opened up our eyes to a new world. Thanks to Ishraq, I have become an educated, enlightened girl who can effectively serve her community,” says Amani Noshy, another girl participating in the programme The father of Laila, another participant, highlights the change that he has noticed in his daughter following her participation in the project. He has expressed his heartfelt thanks to all who have organised this fruitful project.
